Upholstery retailer Sofa Club has announced the appointment of two-person delivery provider Panther Logistics as its logistics partner.

Panther Logistics will be taking charge of the sofa retailer’s warehousing, fulfilment and two-person distribution requirements. Sofa Club customers throughout the UK will now benefit from Panther’s delivery services and removal of packaging. Furthermore, as a part of their sustainability pledge, the online sofa retailer will also be offering a sofa recycling scheme through Panther for the first time.

All Sofa Club stock will be stored in Panther’s brand-new 224,465sqft facility in Swindon, from which deliveries will be made across the UK and also Northern Ireland – another first for the fast-expanding business.

Launched in 2012 by friends Tom O’Neill and Louis Rose, the business has grown from strength to strength since its inception.

Over the course of a decade, the dynamic pair have developed Sofa Club to a £20m business – boasting a flourishing online site, permanent stands in five leading shopping centres across the UK and over 500,000 followers across their social media accounts.

It was while working within the home furniture space as salesmen that both Tom and Louis conjured the concept of Sofa Club after pinpointing a gap in the marketplace to enable consumers to purchase sofas which were in stock offering a stress free buying experience.

With the vast majority of sofas currently on the market currently made to order, lengthy lead times can often frustratingly stretch into the months for UK couch shoppers. Upon realising this can be solved by simplifying the selection process, Sofa Club offers a smaller range of popular designs in a limited number of colours – but keeping them on the shelf.

After stepping into the e-commerce space following the development of their first website in 2017, the business experienced a massive surge in sales – which was only catalysed further as Covid-19 squeezed its grip on the UK, forcing millions to shield themselves in the confines of their own homes.

With more time spent in the home, many consumers busied themselves with renovation projects – a trend which resulted in Sofa Club experiencing back-to-back 100 per cent growth spikes in 2020 and 2021.

Not one to rest on their laurels, the trailblazing brand now looks to continue on its upward trajectory by partnering with Panther Logistics to help scale its final-mile delivery offering to Sofa Club customers throughout the UK.

Gary McKelvey, Vice President Global Home Delivery Operationsat AIT Worldwide Logistics of which Panther is a part, said: “We are hugely delighted to add yet another leading brand onto our ever-growing portfolio. Big thanks must go out to our Operational and Project teams who have worked relentlessly by pulling out all the stops to ensure everything is in place and up and running in preparation of the contract going live.”  

Having already worked with several of the country’s leading sofa and home furniture brands in the UK, Samuel Scott, Panther’s Sales Director says the two-person delivery specialists are well placed to not only streamline Sofa Club’s entire delivery and warehousing operations but also to help the ambitions company achieve its aspiration of growing from a £20 million turnover to £50 million within the next three years.

Samuel Scott commented: “Sofa Club exudes innovation and is one that isn’t afraid to rip up the rule book or look beyond the status quo, which makes being appointed as the company’s sole two-person delivery provider a hugely exciting prospect.

“The business has gone from strength to strength over the past decade and has swiftly become one of the foremost independent sofa retailers in the UK. With further expansion on the horizon, we are looking forward to not only helping scale their delivery offering to their customers but also to act as their growth partner.

“Having worked with several of the country’s leading sofa and home furniture giants, we are confident that Panther Group will be a positive force in representing the Sofa Club brand in the months and years ahead.”

Sofa Club’s Co-Founder and Managing Director Louis Rose also said: “Finding the right 3PL partner was vital in supporting our growth for the future. Our ethos is revolved around ensuring that the entire sofa-shopping experience from start to finish is entirely seamless for our customers – and a big part of that is making sure the final-mile delivery experience was also hassle free.

“From the moment we met Panther they ticked all our boxes and were ahead of the curve in comparison to their competitors. Their comprehensive delivery offering enables us to expand our delivery further across some areas of the UK and furthermore provides our customers with flexible and fast delivery options that suits the needs of the modern-day consumer.

“Partnering with Panther is in many ways a watershed moment for Sofa Club as it acts as an exciting new chapter for the business and provides us with a springboard to transition the brand to its next stage. Similar to ourselves they’re on an exciting upward trajectory and as such we want to be a part of that and continue to grow with them.”

Pictured: L-R Sofa Club’s Co-Founder and Managing Director Louis Rose with Samuel Scott, Sales Director, Panther Logistics